Process for drying solid,moisture laden particles



PROCESS FOR DRYING SOLID, MOISTURE LADEN PARTICLES Filed April 5, 1968 INVENTOR 1 530 Vfflaasey wiwaw,

TTOR/VEYS 8 FOFIQCEDAIR 77 ]]I SOURCE 9 49 United States Patent O 3,501,848 PROCESS FOR DRYING SOLID, MOISTURE LADEN PARTICLES Boyd V. Massey, Rte. 1, Box 57, Poolville, Tex. 76076 Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,613 Int. Cl. F26b 11/02 US. Cl. 34--138 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An air pervious, hollow, particle receiving member in pneumatic communication with a transverse air distribution element supported on the interior of the particle receiving member of a central shaft for tumbling and drying the particles.

BACKGROUND Commonly, products such as peanuts must be dried to remove moisture after harvesting. The usual manner of drying peanuts consists of placing them in a trailer having a perforated bottom that communicates with warmed air transferred by a suitable fan from a heater. This drying technique has significant disadvantages, one being excessive heating and drying of the lowermost peanuts, while the uppermost of them may remain moist. Moreover, periodic manual tumbling of the peanuts is troublesome and, due to the resultant random movement, often fails to produce peanuts of uniform dryness.

It is my purpose to provide apparatus in which the peanuts are automatically and uniformly dried in a convenient manner.

Broadly, my concept consists of providing an air pervious, rotatable particle receiving member, which contains an air pervious distribution element in communication with a heated air receiving central support shaft. In a preferred embodiment, two such particle receiving members are provided, with the air distribution elements extending essentially diametrically across the interior thereof and being disposed substantially 90 degrees relative to each other. Other significant features and advantages of my invention will become apparent in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating apparatus for drying solid, moisture laden particles in accordance with the principles of my invention; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the hollow, particle receiving, air pervious member shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is cross sectional view as seen looking along the lines IIIIII of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a fragementary cross sectional view of an access door arrangement; and FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a sample door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The numeral 11 in the drawing designates apparatus for drying solid, moisture laden particles such as peanuts, the apparatus including a frame 13, which in this instance is mobile, being supported by suitable wheels 15. Suitable support members such as the oblique structures 17 have bearings 19 for rotatably supporting a central shaft which extends axially through two hollow, particle receiving, air pervious members 23, 24. Such members have in a preferred instance solid end walls 25, each of which carries a circularly formed angle iron 27 which carries a plurality of radially spaced, longitudinally extending louvers 29. The louvers 29 are further supported by longitudinally spaced, circular staves 31. The central shaft 21 may be secured to the solid end walls 25 by flanges 33 secured by suitable means such as fasteners 35 or weld.

Sample doors 37, spaced preferably 180 degrees apart, are formed in the air pervious members 23, 24 by removing a section 39 (see FIG. 5) of a louver 29 and attaching to the outer surface a thin metal plate 41 which is secured by suitable fasteners, such as the wing nut and bolt assemblies 43, to the louver 29.

Access doors 45 (see FIG. 4) consist of several longitudinally extending louvers 47 secured to each other in this instance by sections of angle iron 49. The louvers 47 are placed in a mating longitudinal slot formed in one side of the hollow, air pervious member 23. The doors in this instance are adapted to be supported by the staves 31, and thus one end 51 of each door slips under a stave and has secured to one of its angle irons 49 a pin 53 that mates with an aperture 55 in the adjoining angle iron on the adjoining door. A wing nut 57 or equivalent secures the pin 53 and door in place as shown.

Suitable power means for rotating the doors may consist of an electric motor 59, a speed reduction gear reducer 61, and a rubber roller 63, which engages a wide metal band 65 on one end of one particle receiving member as shown in FIG. 1. The central shaft 21 has three longitudinally spaced collars 67, as shown in FIG. 2, supported by four support members 69, here angle iron and braces 70, maintained in a central position shown in FIG. 3 by the braces 71 that extend between the sides of staves 31.

A transverse air distribution element 72, having strength to support the weight of at least one half the solid particles extends the interior length of the particle receiving member 23, and here consists of a plurality of louvers 73 connected to diametrically opposed longitudinally extending boards 75 (see FIG. 3) by suitable fasteners 77. The mutually adjacent ends of louvers 73 extend into spaced apart relationship on each side of the central shaft 21 as shown in FIG. 3. The access doors 45 are spaced on both sides of the air distribution element 72 as indicated in FIG. 3. Moreover, the air distribution elements 72 are spaced ninety degrees relative to each other in the two particle receiving members 23.

The louvers 73 are arranged to enable air permeation and may be constructed of two-inch lumber spaced radially 4; inch apart. The louvers 29 of the particle receiving member 23 may be constructed of four inch lumber spaced radially Ms inch apart.

A conduit 79 extends to a forced air source 81, which supplies warm air to the central shaft 21, to the air distribution element 72, and thus to the interior of the particle receiving members 23, 24.

In operation, air is supplied from source 81 through conduit 79 to the central shaft 21. It is distributed radially within the air distribution elements 72 to the interior of the particle receiving members 23, 24. Peanuts for example are introduced through the access doors 45 on each side of each air distribution element 72 in each particle receiving member 23 which is rotated by roller 63 to tumble the peanuts as warm air is forced around them. Since the air distribution element 72 in each of the separate particle receiving members 23, 24 are ninety degrees apart, weight is better distributed for decreasing the power requirements of the electric motor 59. If the louvers are of the size and the spacing specified above, roughly twice as much space exists between the louvers of the air distribution element 72 than between the louvers of the particle receiving member 23 to help balance air flow. Removal of one of the sample doors 37 enables the peanuts to be conveniently inspected.

While I have shown my invention in only one of its forms it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but susceptible to various changes and modifications without departin from the spirit thereof.

I claim: 1. Apparatus for drying solid, moisture laden particles, said apparatus comprising:

a frame; a hollow, particle receiving, air pervious member carrier by the frame; means rotatably supporting said member on the frame; power means carried by the frame and engaging the particle receiving member for rotation thereof; an access door carried by the particle receiving member for the introduction and withdrawal of solid particles; a hollow, central shaft extending through the particle receiving member; a forced air source connected with said shaft; a transverse, air distribution element extending from said central shaft the interior length and width of the particle receiving member and in pneumatic communication with the air flowing into the central shaft, said distribution element being essentially impervious relative to to the solid particles but pervious relative to air, and said element being rigidly secured to the particle receiving member and having strength to support the weight of at least one half the solid particles therein.

2. The apparatus defined by claim 1 in which the air distribution element comprises a plurality of louvers extending from one interior side to the other of the particle receiving member, with'mutually adjoining ends extending into spaced apart relationship on each side of the central shaft, and with the spaces between the louvers being sufficient to prevent passage of the solid particles.

3. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein the hollow, particle receiving member comprises longitudinally extending, radially spaced apart louvers; end supports carried by said central shaft and supporting the longitudinally extending louvers; and exterior, longitudinally spaced ribs extending around the louvers in support thereof.

4. The apparatus defined by claim 3 in which the air distribution element comprises a plurality of louvers extending from one interior side to the other of the particle receiving member, with mutually adjoining ends extending into spaced apart relationship on each side of the central shaft, and With the spaces between the louvers being sufficient to prevent passage of the solid particles.

5. Apparatus defined by claim 1 which further comprises two particle receiving members, each of which has a transverse, air distribution element, said elements being oriented ninety degrees relative to each other.

6. Apparatus defined by claim 4 which further comprises two particle receiving members, each of which has a transverse, air distribution element, said elements being oriented ninety degrees relative to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1966 Wolser et al. 34-138 X LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner 

